Apparatus for filling and heading hogsheads of tobacco.



E. M. HUNTER. APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND HEADING HOGSHEADS 0F TOBACCO.

APPLICATION FILED MAY '1, 1913.

1 97,924, Patented May 26, 1914.

AIQM,

arms UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST M HUNTER, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CARDWELL MACHINE(10., OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A, CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

AZPIARATUS FOR FILLING AND I-IEADING HOGSHEADS OF TOBACCO.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST M. HUNTER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county ofHenrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Filling and Heading I-Iogsheadsv of Tobacco; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures andletters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to apparatus designed for facilitating thefilling of hogsheads with tobacco or similar elastic material, and moreespecially to the means for holding the heads during the time theworkmen are engaged in lining the hogshead out or permanently securingthe head in place.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, more or lessdiagrammatic in character, of a hydraulic press in which there isembodied the present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of one of thesupports and bearings for the head holder or auxiliary plunger.

Like letters of reference in the two figures indicate the same parts.

Thepress illustrated is in its'general characteristics similar topresses now in common use, and embodies a press frame formed by top andbottom timbers A and A connected by tension rods B, usually four innumber, and arranged in the form of a rectangle. Extending below thebottom timbers A is a hydraulic press cylinder C within which works apiston c carrying at its upper end a movable platen D. The platen D isadapted to drop down to a point in proximity to the level of the floorwhereby it will not obstruct the movements of a truck I pression membersH of sufiicient strength to withstand the compressive force exertedbythe platen in compressing the tobacco in the hogshead.

A sufficient space 1s left below the plun- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented May 26, 1914;.

* Application fil ed May 7, 1913. Serial No. 766,166.

ger head G and the top of the hogshead when the latter is in its loweredposition for the insertion of a removable curb indicated 1n the drawingsby the dotted lines I. In operation the hogshead and curb are bothfilled with tobacco and when elevated by the platen D the tobacco isforced through the bottom of the curb down into the hogshead.

In accordance with present practice the tobacco is pressed for aconsiderable distance down into the hogshead, say approxinatelyone-third of the way, the hogshead is lowered, removed from the pressand the head inserted, but it frequently happens that before the headingoperation is completed the tobacco heaves or swells and repressing isnecessary before the hogshead can be closed. To overcome this difficultyI now propose to head the hogshead while in the press and in order toavoid the necessity of elevating the hogshead, after the removal of thecurb, to a point where the head and the tobacco confined thereby will bewithin the upper end of the hogshead, I provide a supplemental orauxiliary plunger which is adapted to be swung into position below themain plunger Gr leaving a sufficient space below the auxiliary plungerfor the pernianent head K of the hogshead. The auxiliary plunger whichis interposed between the head K and the plunger G is preferably ofskeleton form having top and bottom heads L connected by intermediateposts L, the bottom head L being preferably considerably smaller thanthe permanent head K of the hogshead, whereby a space will be left allaround the same for the manipulation of the tools in eflecting thepermanent attachment of the head K to the side wall of the hogshead.

The auxiliary skeleton-like plunger L, L, is supported on swinging armsM carried by split bearings m surrounding one of the vertical tensionrods B and the bearings m are limited in their downward movement byadjustable split collars N secured to the rod B by means of clampingscrews or otherwise, whereby the supplemental plunger is free to beswung to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 over the hogshead,or to one side of the press as shown by the dotted lines in said figure,so as to be entirely out of the way and permit of the operation of thepress in the ordinary manner. By

mounting the supplemental plunger 0n supports which are free to moveupwardly, strain on the supporting members when the heading operation isproceeding is substantially eliminated and at the same time thesupplemental plunger will be held at the proper level to swing in closeunder the: plunger G so as to substantially fill the space between saidplunger G and the top of thei hogshead when the latter is in loweredposi-- tion.

With this appliance it is a comparatively simple operation to firstpress the tobaccodown into the hogshead, then lower the hogshead, removethe curb and swing the supplemental or auxiliary plunger into position,having first, if so desired, placed the perma nent head K of thehogsheadon the latter. A very slight upward movement of t-he* hogsheadis then all that is necessary to? bring the permanent head down to itsfinal: seat and while so held the operation of fasf tening the samepermanently in place is per-F formed in the usual manner.

Having thus described my invention what; I claim and desire to secure byLetters Pat-Z ent of the United States is,-

1. The combination with a vertically -ar-j ranged tobacco pressembodying an upwardly movable platen adapted to form the pressingsupport for a hogshead or other; receptacle, a main plunger supported inopposition to said platen, and a laterally mov able auxiliary plunger ofless diameter than the permanent head of the hogshead adapted to beinterposed between the platen andmain plunger for retaining thepermanent head of the hogshead while being-secured in place.

2. The combination with a tobacco press embodying a vertically movableplateni adapted vto form a hogshead support and a, fixed plunger mountedin opposition to:

said platen for forcing the tobacco down into the hogshead, and alaterally swmging auxiliary plunger movable into and out of 'alinementwith the platen and plunger and plunger mounted in opposition to saidplaten, vertlcally arranged tension rods interposed between the platenand plunger carrying members, of an auxiliary plunger pivotallysupported on one of said tension rods to swing laterally into and outor" alinement between the platen and plunger, and

means whereby said auxiliary plunger will be supported against downwardmovementbut is free to move upwardly into contact with the fixedplunger.

4. The combination with a tobacco press embodying top and bottomtimbers, tension rods connecting said timbers, a vertically movableplaten supported by the 'bottom timbers, a downwardly projecting plungersupported by the top timbers in opposition to the platen, of anauxiliary plunger,

swinging arms on which said auxiliary plunger is mounted ha vingbearings .surrounding one of said tension rods, and .adjustable collarsmounted on said rods and forming the supports for theswinging'arms ofthe auxiliary plunger.

ERNEST M. HUNTER.

Witnesses SAML. STEINER, SIMON STEINER.

Copies of this patent may :be obtained ifor -five cents each,byr'addressing tke"*Commi'ss1oner :0! Patents. Washington, 1). G.

